Monthly Archives: December 2022

There’s a Muslim dad with kids at the same karate studio my younger son attends. I’d really like to connect with him, but we only see each other briefly at pick up maybe once a week. 

So I got an idea: Our town has a very semi-pro ice hockey team. Tickets are not outrageously priced. What if I invited the dad and his boys to join my son and me for a game? 

The upsides: 

1. Having the game to focus on lowers the required intensity of conversation. 
2. If he’s a good Muslim, I won’t have to spend a lot on beer! 
3. Win or lose, it will be a sign-post in our relationship. We’ll build memories. 

Potential downsides:

1. I fail to navigate his initial, “No, I can’t go,” thinking it means he really doesn’t want to. Or he steps into “American-mode” and declines for real, but I assume it’s cultural and awkwardly re-ask him. 
2. He has no fun. The boys get bored in the first period. We can’t think of anything to talk about. 
3. He’s not a good Muslim and I have to spend a car payment on beer!

What do you think? Should I take the risk or take another direction? What am I missing?

It seems likely that for many of us, if we’re going to connect with Muslims, we’re going to have to go out of our way. At minimum, for most, we’ll have to poke through a cultural barrier of some sort. 

May God give us grace to take the steps he puts in front of us. And, as we do, may we simply ooze and radiate the love, kindness, and truth of Jesus. 

If you’re like to give to ministries at the end of the year and Muslim Connect has blessed you, please click here (choose my name in the staff drop down) and give as God leads you.

You’ve felt it, haven’t you? Jolly ol’ St. Nick, promising you peace and happiness and all you’ve got to do is buy something: A Coke, a coat, a car with a big, red bow on it. You know the drill. 

I’m as prone as most to the lure of that lie, and the ancillary untruths that accompany it: “She’s gonna like me more when she opens the present I got her!” And, “They value me. They got me this thing!” 

For people like us, there’s an additional issue with this deceit: A country who celebrates “Christ”-mas, could easily be assumed to be a “Christ”-ian country. Ergo, “This is what the people of Jesus think and do.” Bummer.

Arguably more Muslims are living under Santa’s watchful eye this year than ever before; many in the U.S. for only their first or second Christmas. What will they see? Feel? Experience and think? 

Maybe for some, they’ll get caught off guard with an empty fridge like I did in the early days of living in religious-holiday laden Holland! Maybe they’ll wonder how to be nice to their kids while being true to Islam. Maybe they’ll think about Jesus a little more than normal. 

Given we lack the marketing budget of Lexus and Lego, what can we do? 

If you get a chance, give a little gift to a Muslim family. Add an offer to pray and an invitation to a low key Christmas gathering. I prefer this description of Christians, “We give gifts, we pray and we throw parties!”

“Father, may this Christmas somehow spark many Muslims to think and wonder about Jesus more and in more biblical ways. And for those fresh to the whole Christmas frenzy, please help them navigate.”

I learned something really cool recently: Senegal is known as the country of teranga. While difficult to translate, teranga communicates a sense of hospitality, respect, inclusion and looking out for the other. It captures an essence of Senegalese culture and describes a common purpose of both the people and the nation. 

As is often true, this cultural reality can be readily seen around the table, or in the case of Senegal, the bowl. Meals are frequently eaten from a common bowl and there’s always room for an extra hand in the dish. In fact, the best bits are pushed toward the visitor. 

Senegalese chef and author, Pierre Thiamsays, “There’s always room for the other around your bowl. Why? Because we believe that the other is bringing blessings. When you share your bowl, your bowl will always be plentiful. . . . This is a country that values the wealth of a person not by how much he has, but by how much he shares, by how much he gives.”

Teranga haș characterized the people of western Africa for centuries, but found new life when Senegal became independent in 1960. The first president, Léopold Senghor championed the idea and the term to encourage unity across religions and peoples. 

The stability that Senegal enjoys shows that it worked. As does the tendency of Muslims to share with Christians during Tabaski (the Wolof word for Eid al Adha) and Christians to share with Muslims Christmastime.

I love the idea of teranga in part because it feels so much like the kingdom of God. I want to embody it myself. And hopefully part of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be eaten from bowls, with your hand and mine intermixed with hands of Wolof, Fula, Soninke, Jola and Mandinka peoples.

Christmas exists because of a pretty special kiddo and it exists for kiddos. Of course we keep Christmas around for a lot of other good reasons as well, but kids do factor pretty hugely into the whole deal. 

With the kid-centric nature of the holiday in mind, I want to invite you to drop a little seed into some wee brains. If you get a chance to chat with kids and make it past the next sweet thing they hope to pop into their mouths or the sick toy they’re hoping to get under the tree, consider laying some “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” truth on them. In no way dissing a really pretty good song, maybe we can help kiddos connect the dots between the creche and the craziness of modern day Bethlehem. Here are some talking points: 

Did you know Bethlehem is a real place? It’s a city with traffic and stores, restaurants and movie theaters. 

Around 25,000 people live there. That’s about half as many people as visit Disney World on a given day! (Or whatever contextual stat might make sense to the munchkins you’re engaging.)

Most of the people who live there are Muslims. But most of their nearby neighbors are Jews. The Christians have mostly moved away. Since Jews and Muslims usually don’t like each other (That’s a long story!), it’s sort of like Mentos and Coke over there. 

Let’s pray the remaining Christians will be safe enough to stick around. Ask God that the Jews and Muslims would learn more about this sweet baby and the rock star he grew up to be. 

Next time your parents ask what you want for Christmas, tell them a trip to Bethlehem!

Ok, so it’s possible you’ve got a busy month ahead of you. Not only is the World Cup heating up and the temperature falling, but maybe you’ve got, oh, a tiny bit of Christmas prep on your plate? 

We tend to stack a lot of good things on December: Food drives, services at church, parties you want to attend and maybe a couple you don’t, cookie plates for neighbors, Christmas cards, Christmas movies, family visits, and finding an amazing present for my amazing wife. (Suggestions here, please.) 

Here’s a way to pull your mind back to your love for Muslims in the midst of the merriment. Every time you enjoy a slice of pie, see a pie, see a picture of pie or even smell the yumminess baking in the oven take a moment and lift up the following acronymic requests, asking God to work so that Muslims will. . . 

Participate in God’s story. May Muslims inherit their place in the abundant life Jesus came to earth to bring.

Impart the God-given gifts of their cultures to Christians and others in their midst.

Experience the kindness of Jesus expressed through the interest, love and hospitality of people like you and me. 

Of course you can sub in your own words for the acronym. You can also go for longer words like STAR: S: Seek Jesus, T: Turn from everything false, A: Aquire eternal life, R: Reproduce disciples among all Muslim peoples. Or CHRISTMAS TREE (You’ll have to do that one yourself!) 

May God hear our PIE (participate/impart/experience) prayers and answer them beyond our wildest imagination.